Shadow Warrior
by Prophet WolfStar
Summary: REVISED! After 5 yrs of peace, the Ronins are called to the Dynasty to fight a new threat. However, a tragic but necessary event forces Rowen to make a decision he had never wanted to make. In the end, was the outcome worth the price?
1. Prologue

-1Shadow Warrior

REVISED AND REDONE!

By: Raven

Disclaimer: I don't own Ronin Warriors, however, the original characters within do belong to me, as well as the plot. (originals consist of; Leora, Jenna, Zach, and Victor)

A/N: So after going through old stories on the site I realized in utter horror how horribly I used to write. You can definitely see an improvement in my writing if you had read the first version of this fanfic. I couldn't finish re-reading it, it was that horrible to me. So, I decided to redo it. I would also like to point out that it is vastly different than the first version as I have made some serious improvements. The whole idea of Lady Ronins was just so overdone that I couldn't stand it. It's a lot easier to just stick with the guys being the heroes! Besides, it's got to be original…in some context.

Break!

Prologue:

Lightening flashed along the horizon and somewhere beyond it thunder crashed and rain began to drop from the black clouds that had started it all. The wind howled and brought with it the sour taste of battle. The rebellion was still going strong on the other side of the Netherworld and rumors had spread quickly of a new ruler over this dark kingdom. It frightened the woman standing on the cliff overlooking the landscape far below her. She and the Warlords had all worked so hard to purify the darkness that hearing of this new war, this new ruler, had devastated her.

But it wasn't just that. Something about this new ruler struck her as odd and dangerous. The defeat of Talpa had been an accomplishment of monstrous proportions all on its own. Was it possible that this new ruler truly had the strength to overtake the Netherworld and rule it as Talpa had once done? What would happen if that were to be true?

Kayura's blue eyes glittered faintly as the breeze swept upwards from the world below to surround her atop the cliff.

"We can overcome this,"

"Can we, Dais?" Kayura looked over her shoulder briefly, trying to ignore the dread that roused and swam in the pit of her stomach. "What if we can't?"

"If we cannot put out this fire on our own, we will ask for assistance from the Ronins."

Kayura should have agreed with that, but for some reason, she felt strongly against it. "It's been five years, Dais. What right have we to disturb their lives like this? What right have we to drag them into our problems?"

"My love, where the Netherworld is involved, it is not just _our _problem, but _everyone's_ problem. Surely you see that? If this new Lord is stronger than Talpa, if we cannot defeat him on our own, we _will_ need the aid of the Ronins. They've kept up their training. They are just as strong, if not stronger, than before. You must understand, that if it comes down to it, we will ask for their help,"

"I'm sorry, Dais. I do not agree, however, if it must be done, then it must be done," She turned towards him and shook her head, a sigh escaping her thin lips. "Many have begun to settle down. I don't feel that it's right to take them away from the peace they have sought their entire lives." Again, Kayura sighed into the cool night air. "If only Anubis were still with us, he'd know how to handle this,"

"We all miss him, Kayura,"

"I know," She moved away from Dais' stony form and headed towards the large cabin a few yards down from where she'd been standing. "The Ancient told us that a sacrifice would have to be made, but why did it have to be him? Especially when the sacrifice was made for myself?"

"You feel that you were undeserving? Kayura, Anubis sacrificed himself to save you from the darkness that had been woven around you not because the Ancient told him to do so, but because it was his choice to make. He felt, I'm sure, that by saving you he could save his soul from damnation. His soul was redeemed, purified by the action. You should harbor no guilt for such an honorable and honest move. Anubis would not have it,"

"I understand," She moved forward again and left Dais on the cliff, disappearing into the warmth the cabin offered her. Dais looked after her for a few moments before turning to face the horizon, his good eye squinting in the darkness. "Would it really have to come to that? Will the Ronins really have to be summoned again?"

The wind brought him no answer.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

* * *

Gasping for air as the nightmare left her, Leora Date's hazel eyes shot open in the dim light of morning and brought her back to reality. Gingerly, she sat up in the bed and rubbed her eyes of the sleep they contained. Groaning quietly so that she didn't wake her still sleeping lover, Leora leaned over him to check the clock and was relieved that she'd beaten the alarm this time. The last time she'd been attacked by this nightmare, her lover had had to shake her out of it and he was deeply troubled by it. If it happened again she probably wouldn't be able to get him to stop fretting over her for more than two seconds. It was lovely that he cared, wonderful that he loved, but when there was nothing to worry about…

Ok, so maybe there was a little something to worry about with the matter. Like the fact that she'd gotten little to no sleep at all over the course of two weeks. And he'd noticed how exhausted she'd become almost as quickly and easily as he'd noticed her lack of motivation lately in their work at the lab. Of course, genetic engineering to an artist was just oh so fascinating…!

Leora moved carefully for the bathroom and struck up the warm water for her shower and made quick work of all other little details. Relief swept over her as her body had a glimpse of relaxation under the hot water that hit her, forcing knotted and tense muscles to loosen and relax for the first time in 24 hours.

"This has got to stop…" She muttered under her breath as she braced her hands on the cold tile to hold her weight while she allowed the hot water to pound her shoulders. She left the shower when her mission had been accomplished and dried herself off, leaning her weight against the sink while she tried to force the sleep from her eyes.

"Another nightmare?" Rowen Hashiba's sultry British accent roused her from whatever daydream she had almost slipped into, but his hands got her full and undivided attention.

"You give the world's best back massages,"

"You're avoiding the question,"

"Yes, another nightmare," Leora whispered as he worked her muscles into submission. "You're not going to start fussing, are you?"

"Only if you don't fall over in exhaustion before the day is out,"

"Crap,"

"Leora…"

"Rowen, if I could control these stupid nightmares, I wouldn't be having them."

"I told you; it's stress. You need to take a break,"

"I'll get a break next week, Rowen, we both will,"

"It doesn't count if I have to force you into it," Rowen protested as he embraced her, sighing into her hair. "You had been looking forward to this trip for months, what's changed your mind?"

"My big brother hasn't exactly approved of our relationship, Rowen,"

"Sage has been taking care of you since you were kids, sweetheart, he's just looking out for you. The big brother little sister over protectiveness is a trait our dear Sage harbors."

"Unfortunately," Leora grumbled as she reached for her hair brush. "You two are best friends, you'd think he would have approved from the second he learned of it,"

"Uh, his best friend dating his little sister isn't exactly an easy scenario to cope with, trust me. Especially since it's Sage that we're talking about." Rowen continued with his massage as Leora brushed the tangles from her dark hair. "It'll grow on him eventually, Leora. Just give him time. Besides, can you even remember the last time we saw everyone?"

"Last Christmas…" Leora murmured faintly. "We had fun, didn't we?"

"Yeah, we did," Rowen embraced her from behind, kissing her damp shoulder gently. "Are you sure you're all right?"

"Yeah, I'm just tired…"

"You know, we don't have to go to the lab today. We could just stay here and be lazy all morning. We could go have dinner tonight, come back, pack up and head to the airport in the morning and let that be the end of it,"

"That would be wonderful…" Leora murmured, her shoulders sagging as she accepted the proposal. Rowen's face contorted in worry as he lead her out of the bathroom and back towards the bed. The way she moved wasn't normal for her. What had happened to that grace with which she'd carried herself? What had happened to all the smiles; all the laughter?

"They're really bad, aren't they?"

"I don't know, Ro'. Most of them I don't remember when I wake up," Leora slid onto the mattress and sank into its warmth. "Bits and pieces come back to me every now and then, but not enough to really make since of them."

"Anything in particular?"

"You're not going to let this one go, are you?" When he didn't reply with anything but that familiar look of concern, she rolled onto her back and rubbed her face, finally giving in. "Most of what I remember is confusing. One second it's beautiful outside, the next it's pitch black and a wicked storm starts up. Then there's this weird blue light and then…well…I guess you could say it's armor that touches me…then the rest is mostly a blur. I don't know, Rowen. It's all just so…strange…"

"Was the armor blue, Leora?"

"Yeah," She yawned, turned her head to gaze at him, confused by the look of concentration on his face. "Wait, how did you guess that?"

"I didn't…" His voice slipped to a nervous whisper.

"Ro?"

"I have to tell you something, Leora,"

"Um…ok?" She turned and rested her head on her hand, reaching out to touch his face and lift his eyes up to hers. "Rowen, is something going on?"

"I know this is a pretty stupid question, but do you remember that year when Sage just vanished? Well…he wasn't the only one."

"What?"

"Leora, all of us; Me, Sage, Ryo, Cye, Kento…we were all in Toyama with Mia and Yuli,"

"I know that,"

"Yeah, but you don't know why we were all there," Rowen sat up and turned away from her. "We all promised each other not to share what went on that year with anyone but ourselves. There was just too much to be risked…"

"Rowen, where are you going with this?" Leora sat up as well and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "What does this have to do with my dreams, sweetie? I don't understand the connection…"

"The man in the armor…did he have a bow and arrow of gold?"

Stunned, she just stared at the back of his head. "How…Rowen, how could you possibly know that?"

"Please, Leora, please don't hate me for what I'm about to show you,"

"Rowen," She reached for him when he left the bed, completely confused. "What is-" Words left her then, fading into oblivion upon Rowen's startling show of his true self, his true occupation. Beneath the sweetness and the gentle loving man she knew lay the warrior, the protector. Shrouded in the majestic armor of his ancestor Strata, Rowen seemed to be the epitome of the heavens themselves. His armor shimmered in blue hues, transforming and glittering like stars floating about their bedroom as if it were a normal occurrence. Leora's eyes softened, filled with everything but bitterness, everything but hate or loathing. Awe flowed through her, melting the tension in her body and melting her muscles like butter in the skillet. Her blood heated, flushed her pale, tired face as if his armor beat just under her skin and gave her life rather than her heart.

But then…wasn't that true? Rowen had her heart, had had it for nearly two years now.

"Leora?"

He was waiting for any indication that she might understand what he was showing her, but quickly realized as he watched her throat working and struggling to form the words that it was next to impossible. Eventually she gave up and her jaw twitched. For a moment, Rowen stopped breathing, fearing the worst in her next action, but found himself completely warmed to the fullest extent possible when a smile bloomed on her beautiful face. And then her voice came back to her and her throat relaxed and let the words slip from her mouth like a beautiful song strung skillfully and beautifully from a violin.

"Rowen, you are quite literally my Knight in Shining Armor," Slowly, she left their bed and approached him, carefully letting her fingers explore the plates and ridges of the armor that covered his body, taking in the man before her. "So this is what I've gotten myself into…"

A smile bloomed on Rowen's face and he reached out and touched her cheek. "Sweetheart, I don't quite think you could get into this armor with me in it,"

The illustrious little grin that usually signaled punishment in a physical means that was, by far, anything _but _punishment, suddenly brightened her face and she made his cheeks go red and his body heat up with the seductive and playful slur of words that she let loose on him. "Then how about you take it off so I can get to the clothes that I know I can get into,"

"Ooh, you're in for it now,"

"Prove it, little man,"

The armor vanished and Rowen took a prowling step forward and entrapped her in his strong arms. "You're tempting a lion with a fresh steak, darling,"

"Then eat it!" Giggling, Leora kissed him with enough heat with it to have made the house go up in flames, had Rowen not known _exactly _ how to contain it.

* * *

YAY! I finished chapter one, FINALLY. Revisions are going terribly well, despite the lack of time I have to work on anything. Gau, work has consumed meh! But love? XD reviews are appreciated and much wanted! 


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

* * *

In the early morning darkness, the red lights of an alarm clock all changed to read the coming of 6am and music abruptly started playing. However, the melodious tune went by unnoticed by those it was meant to rouse, and it was thirty minutes that passed by before Leora's ears twitched in response to the noise.

Blearily, she woke herself up and sought out the source of the sound. For a moment, she merely stared at the red glowing numbers before going completely rigid. "Six thirty-one? Oh, no! ROWEN!"

Rowen awoke with a start, startled by the suddenness of the call and immediately sought her out in the darkness.

"What is it?"

"We over slept!"

"We what? NO!"

They both scrambled hastily from their bed and dressed, finding how convenient it had been to have packed the night before.

Half an hour later, as their bags were checked in and tagged, the couple realized the closeness of their arrival to their flights' departure. The final call for departure was ringing through the intercom, and they were still a floor below their ticketed gate. Rowen grabbed Leora's arm and raced with her up the escalator, grateful that there weren't too many people blocking their path.

"Hurry! Faster! Go, go, go!"

Leora followed Rowen closely, feeling the grip he had on her hand tightening significantly. "WAIT!" Rowen skidded to a halt in front of the boarding gate, holding out their passports as quickly as possible. The attendant laughed at their expressions and motioned them forward.

"You just barely made it,"

Rowen and Leora exchanged exasperated glances and made their way quickly down to the plane. "I can't believe we over slept!"

Leora grinned at her lover's obvious aggravation and followed him obediently to the two first class seats assigned to them. Some of their fellow passengers gave them knowing smiles as they stored their luggage and took their seats. Leora, despite loathing flying with a passion, took the seat by the window, making the flight easier on herself because leaning on Rowen would be that much more comfortable without someone else on the other side of her. She wheezed for a moment, much to Rowen's displeasure, but helped herself to a dose of her asthma medication before he could say anything.

If she had a fit, he'd blame himself for making her rush so quickly.

"You ok?"

"I'm on a plane that's about to take off and fly over the ocean for a few hours, what do you think?"

He patted her leg and wrapped his arms around her, nuzzling her cheek a little. "You'll be fine. Just close your eyes and sleep and we'll be there before you know it."

"I'm too anxious to sleep," Leora muttered, but she leaned in and snuggled against him anyway. Besides, if she knew her brother as well as she did, she wouldn't be getting very much snuggle time with Rowen over the course of this vacation. Her brother was a snarly little ass at times, but even more so when it came to his sister dating one of his best friends. He'd always said that he didn't like the idea simply because he just didn't like his little sister dating a friend of his, but Leora knew better. It was because of what Rowen had revealed to her last night. Sage was a jerk to have kept that from her for so long! How could he not like her dating Rowen when he'd done more damage than Rowen ever could have? At least her blue-haired beau had told her what life with him could mean! Sage had just vanished all together with no calls, no letters, no nothing.

And that upset her.

"I know what you must be thinking about," Rowen said as the plane was lead out of the gate towards the runway. "You're getting yourself riled to face Sage,"

"It's the only way I can face him, Rowen. If he can't get it through his head that he doesn't run my life, then I don't really know what I'll do. I refuse to let him walk all over me. He says I can't date you because it's not right, but at least you've been honest with me about everything! He's been lying to me for five years, to my face, without even twitching! The jerk…"

"I understand you're anger towards him, Leora, but it's Sage. He's thick headed,"

"Thick haired," Leora grumbled, making the mistake of looking out of the window. "Oh wow…"

"You'll be fine," Rowen chuckled, turning her to look at him. "I promise, you'll be fine,"

"If you say so,"

"Go to sleep," He whispered, letting her snuggle against him again. "When you wake up, we'll be in Toyama,"

* * *

Rowen's eyes snapped open at the noise and he lifted his head to see that the captain had reactivated the seat belt light. He checked his watch as he reached over and fastened Leora's seatbelt while she continued to sleep, then did the same to his own. Problem was, they couldn't have been close to the airport for the decent because it hadn't been long enough.

"Attention passengers! The captain has asked that all seatbelts be fastened immediately. Please return to your seats and return your trays and seats to their upright and full position."

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is the captain speaking! It looks like we've got a bit of a bumpy ride ahead of us. We're about to fly through a pretty nasty looking storm. We will be experiencing some minor to mild turbulence, but it's nothing to be worried about. Again, please make sure all seatbelts are fastened and your trays and seats are in their proper positions. Thank you!"

"Leora," Rowen nudged her gently, saddened that he had to wake her to a possible nightmare. She stirred and he gave her the news, watching her face pale a little. She didn't like flying, finding herself very untrusting of airplanes. It was just the way she was. "I'm right here. The Captain says it shouldn't be too bad,"

Leora, regardless of this news, reached out and pulled the shade down over her window, not really wanting to see the storm they were now soaring into. She latched onto Rowen's arm and kept quiet, her eyes darting about the cabin in case she might catch the panicked faces of the flight attendants, but they all seemed pretty calm and laid back, even if they were strapped into their own seats.

"The good news," Rowen offered, giving her body a gentle squeeze. "Is that we only have a few hours left,"

"That's good," She whispered, unable to hide the tremble in her voice.

"It's all right," Rowen soothed, stroking the chill from her arms. She seemed to relax with that gesture, but the second she relaxed, the plane rocked wildly and tensed up so much he thought she was going to snap. Clearly, the captain had been wrong about the minor turbulence. There were a few exclamations of fear from some passengers, but as soon as the plane settled again, it stopped.

"Another reason I'm getting myself riled to face my brother," Leora declared, still trembling nervously. "I can't stand flying over water and the bastard makes me do it every year just to spend two weeks listening to him bitch about me being with you. The prick! I should hurt him-ahh!"

The plane shook wildly again, but this time, the turbulence didn't stop for several long minutes. Kids were crying, some women had cried out in fear, Leora just clung to him with all of her being, breathing so heavily he just knew her asthma was going to take the opportunity to act up on her. She seemed ok for a few minutes, but she soon started crying quietly as the plane dropped a few hundred feet and then rose up again. The darkness of the cabin because of the thick black clouds outside of the plane made it hard to see towards the cockpit where even the flight attendants looked a little panicked.

"Breathe, Leora," Rowen urged into her ear, squeezing her again. "Get control of it before it gets bad,"

She tried to obey, but with every jolt of the plane, she lost that little control she had and just started wheezing again. And then, quite suddenly, the plane flew out of the storm, sunlight flared in through the windows, and the plane was calm again.

"Here!" Rowen reached into her bag and dug around frantically for the inhaler, aware now that several of the passengers had caught on to Leora's predicament. "I have it!" He pressed it into her hands and helped her get the inhaler to her mouth were she took two doses from it. When her breathing calmed again, Rowen let himself relax at last.

"Is she ok?" It was a passenger in the first class seats in front of them that inquired, turning to look down at Leora in concern. Leora regulated her breathing enough to nod, taking one more puff of medicated air from the inhaler before she was back to normal again.

"Better?" Rowen asked as she lowered the inhaler and tried to regain her composure, wiping the tears from her cheeks. Again she nodded, but Rowen could clearly see how scared she'd been and how scared she still was. He hugged her, drawing her against his chest, stroking her arms and back again to try and sooth her. "It's all right, love, I promise. We made it through that,"

"Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your Captain speaking again! Sorry about all of that. I suppose that was a bit more turbulence than anticipated, but we have cleared the storm and you'll be happy to know that you won't have to deal with that one again. You may now release your safety belts and feel free to move about the cabin. We'll be arriving at our destination within the next two hours. Again, we have smooth sailing ahead of us,"

"Smooth sailing my foot!" Leora snarled in a small voice, trying not to smile when the passengers closest to them, Rowen included, all began to chuckle. If no one had known she didn't like flying when she'd gotten on this plane, they all knew it now.

* * *

Leora was surprised that the passengers in first class with them had fervently offered to let her and Rowen off the plane first, but she thanked them and scurried off as quick as she could, glaring at the captain as he apologized to her and those who followed for an unpleasant and bumpy ride. Once she was in the terminal and back on solid ground, she started to relax.

"Look at it this way," Rowen offered as he shouldered both of their carry on bags and took her hand to lead her towards the luggage bay where he knew a few of the group they were meeting would be waiting. "at least you don't have to get on a plane again for another two weeks,"

"I'd rather not think about it," Leora grumbled as they stepped onto an escalator and listened to the familiar noise of an airport terminal building. "I thought you said the radar had been clear of storms?"

"It had been when we left, but this one must have manifested out of the blue. You know how those climate shifts through everything off. Besides, if the wind changed suddenly, it was bound to head our way eventually. Judging by how wet it is here, I bet everyone here had to suffer it, too."

"Yes, but in the air in a plane? Rowen, that scared me!"

"I know, love," He hugged her, kissing her temple. "But we're on solid ground again, so you can relax for a while," As they stepped off of the escalator and began the long walk towards the luggage hall, Leora did finally start to relax again. Being on solid ground helped her out more than any of his positive coaching could, and as they reached the assembly line to snag their luggage, she was in good spirits again. At least until they looked around and noticed that no one from their group seemed to be waiting for them. That just got her riled up over Sage again.

"The jerk forgot about us,"

Rowen chuckled, knowing that trying to talk her down would be pointless and nothing but a waste of time. She needed a good outlet for the stresses of the day and he wasn't going to keep Sage from being that outlet, especially since Leora was determined to use him that way. Besides, if it got Sage to hold off on being a pig-headed jerk about their being a couple, he wouldn't dare try and stop her. Sage was getting on his nerves just as badly as Leora's lately. It wasn't fair that Sage acted so angry towards the couple when it was so obvious that there wasn't a problem with it. But Sage reasoned that his sister was in danger constantly now because of her involvement with Rowen, which was bogus because she was Sage's sister, and he was a Ronin just like Rowen, so it sent them in a huge circle.

At any rate, if the Dynasty really wanted to involve the family of the Ronins, they would find them all just as easily as they would if they were all dating. Leora was in no more danger dating Rowen than she was by just being Sage of the Halo's sister!

Now, if they could just get that through Sage's thick hair and into his equally thick skull, they might actually get through this vacation without a hitch. That, of course, was wishful thinking.

"They're not out here, either," Rowen murmured as they stepped out of the building and into the sunlight of the late afternoon, mid-evening hour. Mia's jeep was no where to be seen parked along the terminal, nor could they see any sign of it on the horizon.

"Should we call them?" Leora asked as she reached into her purse for her cell phone. "Ah, damn, no service!"

"Airports hardly ever have any service," Rowen muttered as he set their luggage down and claimed a seat on one of the bigger bags. "We might as well just wait. They knew we were coming, so they're bound to show up soon,"

"Hopefully," Leora plopped down onto the bag next to him and rested her head in her hand and her elbows on her knees. Rowen smiled softly. She looked so damned cute when she was pouting that it was hard not to smile at the sight.

* * *

It was dark outside by the time Rowen and Leora reached Mia's estate in a cab, having finally given up on waiting for a ride from the group. It was obvious that they'd forgotten that the couple was coming, which was unlike Mia, but it didn't matter at this point because they were there now.

As they climbed the steps and stepped in through the unlocked door, Leora sought out the room where the group was gathered and glared at the back of all their heads. The only one that seemed to be missing from the group was Kento, but that didn't matter to her at this point.

"It's so nice to know that we're loved!" She announced, her hands resting on her lithe hips. Six heads, and one feline head, turned in her direction with the announcement, looking stunned.

"Of course you're loved!" A woman that had been sitting on the ground next to Ryo hopped up and approached her, wrapping her into a hug. "We were starting to wonder what was keeping you all. Did Kento get lost?"

"Kento?" Rowen questioned as he dropped their bags by the door. "You sent Kento to come and get us? No wonder!"

"What do you mean?" Jenna, the woman who had hugged Leora, stepped back in surprise. "Damn it, Ryo! I told you we shouldn't have left that fat brat go to get them! He probably stopped to eat and ended up in the arcade!"

"What a baka," Sage snarled as he stopped up and approached his sister, noticing the flicker of something feral flashing in her eyes as he came up to her. "What? I can't hug my own sister?"

"That depends," Leora muttered as she allowed him to wrap his arms around her, stiffly returning the gesture.

"On what?" Sage pouted cutely as he stepped back from her, but he already knew why she was so predatory. "You know my standing on that, Le," He sighed, shaking his head. "I don't like it,"

"Do you feel better now that you've said it, because I'm putting my foot down this time. I don't want to hear one word about it during this trip! I've had a really stressful day and I really can't handle any lip from you over who I choose to date,"

"Fine. And what's been so stressful?"

"We flew through a storm on the way here, which scared me so much that I had an asthma attack," Leora muttered as she moved to grab her purse from off the floor to search for her inhaler again. "And thank God I refilled my prescription before we left, or I would have been screwed. What's Kento's number so I can curse the baka out for forgetting about me!"

At this, Sage smiled and gladly dished out the digits while Ryo and Cye helped Rowen get the bags up to his room, all three of them chatting along about how much they'd all missed over the course of the year. The three women in the room, Mia, Jenna, and Cye's girlfriend, Sarah, all approached Leora and shared tight hugs and chatted along while Kento ignored his phone. Sage tried calling after that, with the same fruitless results, and vowed to beat the idiot into a pulp once he got back home.

"We could always start dinner without him," Yuli offered, stretching as he rose from his spot near White Blaze. Leora smiled at him, amazed at how much the fourteen-year-old had grown over the year she'd been gone.

"That would probably be a more effective punishment," Jenna chuckled as she looped her arm into Leora's. "So, girl chat,"

"That would be our cue to leave, Sage," Yuli chuckled and the last two remaining males fled upstairs with the others, White Blaze not far behind.

"So?" Jenna questioned as she lead Leora to the couch so the woman could relax for a little while. "That phone call a few weeks back ended rather abruptly, and you never called me back with details, so now I want to know! Did you two…?"

Leora's cheeks flushed red when she realized what Jenna was asking, and she turned to look over her shoulder to make sure that Sage hadn't lingered around and then nodded. The second the gesture was made, all three of the women cheered and laughed, which made Leora laugh.

"You all act like it's some big accomplishment,"

"You and Rowen have been together for three years, Leora! And you two hadn't had," Jenna paused and whispered, just in case, "sex at all! So, yes, it's an accomplishment!"

"Sage was always breathing down our necks about us being together, and he still is, but I finally just put my foot down on the situation. Still, don't tell him!"

"Honey, you've got nothing to worry about," Mia promised as the reflection of headlights on the mirror above the fire place drew her towards the window. "Oh look who's home,"

"Kento? Let me at him!" Leora leapt off the couch the second she heard the front door closed and then she marched straight out and punched the hulk of muscle in the arm. "You forgot about me!"

Surprised, Kento just stared at her and then, as realization dawned on him, his eyes got really wide. "Ooh! I'm sorry!" The second it looked like she was going to accept his apology, he bolted up the stairs in fear of her wrath, but Leora followed him, cursing his name under her breath. Luckily, it was about that time when the rest of the males in the group stepped out of Rowen's room and blocked Kento's retreat.

"Hello, baka," Sage glared, his arms folded over his chest. "I believe there's something important that you were supposed to do this evening that you didn't?"

"I…uh…" Kento, knowing he was completely cornered, scratched the back of his neck and plastered the biggest grin he could manage onto his face. "I'm sorry? Guess I got distracted…"

* * *

End Chapter! Sorry, again, for the lack of updates. Moving, new job, etc, all very stressful and time consuming. But here is a chapter that I hope you shall all enjoy!!! I apologize for the lack of attention that I've been giving to my stories lately, but, like I said, it's been hard to move so far from home and then get settled into a new job. Thanks for your patience!! 


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